The District of West Vancouver is warning the public to stay away from oil-polluted water off several local beaches as oil from the spill in English Bay reached West Vancouver beaches Thursday evening. <\/p>\n
Municipal staff began posting signs at beaches Thursday evening including Ambleside and Dundarave as a plume from the oil spill was carried across Burrard Inlet. <\/p>\n
\"There is oil on some beaches,\" said Jeff McDonald, spokesman for the District of West Vancouver Thursday night. Beaches where oil has been spotted include Sandy Cove, Stearman and Ambleside. <\/p>\n
The fuel, believed to be bunker oil that spilled from an anchored freighter Wednesday evening is considered possibly harmful and could cause irritation to skin and eyes. <\/p>\n
West Vancouver staff warned the public not to swim at local beaches, and to avoid contact with the oil, water and wet sand. <\/p>\n
Clean up of West Vancouver beaches is expected to begin first thing Friday morning, said McDonald. <\/p>\n
Authorities were first alerted to an oil spill from a freighter anchored off English Bay around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when a boater reported seeing an oily sheen on the water, said Julia Ren, a spokeswoman with Port Metro Vancouver. <\/p>\n
At the time, We were told (the oil) was light and unrecoverable, said Ren. <\/p>\n
Only later in the evening did the authorities realize the oil was thicker and the spill more serious than first thought. <\/p>\n
Crews set up a containment boom around the grain ship Mathahassa sometime after 9 p.m. and began emergency cleanup operations. <\/p>\n
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Oil spill washes ashore on West Vancouver beaches<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The District of West Vancouver is warning the public to stay away from oil-polluted water off several local beaches as oil from the spill in English Bay reached West Vancouver beaches Thursday evening. Continue reading